


Foreign Fireworks

by Talaros



Series: Exotic Flowers [1]
Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26235841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talaros/pseuds/Talaros
Summary: When all your comforts are taken from you, what are you left with? How can you shape your future? A young girl decides to earn her place in a new world by dedicating herself to her one passion: soccer.
Series: Exotic Flowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905637
Kudos: 11





	1. The Debut

“Good morning! Nice to meet you!”

Three knocks on the bedroom door made her rise from her bow.

“Practising your introductions again, honey?”

“What do you want, Papa?” she asked irritably, trying to cover up her bow by lifting her arms over her head and leaning back in a stretch.

“Now, now. If you introduce yourself with that attitude, it won’t matter how good your words are,” he teased while walking in and ruffling her hair. She blushed and ducked under his arms, escaping a possible hug. Her father laughed. “I just came to say it is time to leave if you want to be on time for your first day.”

The girl glanced at the clock on the wall and snatched her bag from her bed before swinging it onto her shoulder. With one final glance in the mirror to check if the braids in her hair were properly secured she turned around and smiled at her father.

“Thanks, sorry for being rude,” she said and bowed before hurrying past him and to the front door.

“Don’t worry! They will love you,” his voice echoed through the hallway.

‘Sure, they will love me… Not,’ she thought as she closed the door and her smile fell from her face. While walking she kept repeating the few sentences that she had memorised aloud.

“I am happy to be here. Good morning. Nice to meet you. Good morning. I hope we can-” she stopped as she stumbled over her words. Speaking is hard. Never before did she have to practise introducing herself, but now she had forced herself to completely prepare multiple conversations. There was a plan for others asking about her hobbies, home, country, favourite food and to be friends. She sighed and looked up at the blue sky. She moved her tongue around in her mouth, loosening it up, before slipping back into her mother tongue and relaxing.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be preparing all this… Talking should be smooth, relaxed, natural, not rehearsed. I can’t fall back on the few things I have prepared when someone asks me to describe the perfect way to pet a tabby cat.”

Sick of her rambling mind, she decided to change her pace to a steady jog and focus on her breathing. Halfway there, she passed a small group of kids wearing the same uniform she had put on that morning. She felt sick in her stomach when she heard one of them halt their sentence as she passed and changed their tone as they started a new one. They must be talking about her.

Further increasing her pace, she forced herself to focus on her breathing again. The rise and fall of her chest. The air flowing in through her nose and out of her mouth. When the school building popped into view, she slowly reduced her speed. She took some deep breaths as she completed her route. 

‘Good exercise. Smooth breathing. Focus on the movement of the diaphragm tonight,’ she thought to herself while walking along the property’s wall. Turning the corner and stepping onto the school grounds, she willed a small smile on her face.

The school was very different from those in Europe. The grounds contained many training grounds for the various sports clubs. Back home, she was lucky if the grounds had a small plaza to play soccer on. The paths were lined with trees that could turn pink with cherry blossom. Seeing the flowers bloom and fall was one of the few things she was looking forward to. The main path split into two and followed along the edges of a barren soccer field before converging in front of the stairs that led to the main building, which loomed over the foreigner as she neared the entrance. She wondered how she is going to ensure she does not get lost inside as she looked up at the giant logo of the school that hung above her.

“Lightning. Thunder. Inazuma is a Japanese word for it,” her mother had said when they first visited Raimon Junior High. “Inazuma…” she whispered to herself as she walked through the door. Remembering the previous time she was here, she located the staircase and made her way to the administration office she was told to report. When she reached her destination, she swallowed heavily and let out a big sigh, preparing to introduce herself.

“Let’s go,” she encouraged herself in Japanese before walking through the open door.

“Hello! You must be our new European student. Nice to meet you! Your stuff, including your schedule, is on the table over there.” 

Stunned by the smiling woman’s cheerfulness, she hesitated a moment, processing her words, before walking over to the desk she had pointed at and investigated the items.

“You are early. A senior student will come to pick you up and show you around soon,” the woman said, still smiling, and immediately turned back to her work.

‘So much for preparing myself for this…’ she thought. Sitting down on a chair that was set against the wall, presumably for visitors (and she very much felt like a mere visitor), she tried to decipher her timetable. She recognised some of the kanji she had learnt. After a few minutes, she had managed to figure out and partially memorise her schedule for the day. It was her shortest day of the week. In some ways a short day was desirable, but it also meant there was still a lot to come on the other days. She stretched her legs, shoulders and neck while looking out the window at the clear sky that signified a good day. A good day, that is what it would be.

“Great, you’re already here!” a sudden voice interrupted her thoughts. “I’m Wakai Inao, nice to meet you. Come.”

She squeezed the paper in her hand. She had not seen or heard him come in. Her guide looked at her with a smile. She stood up and thanked him before bowing. When she raised her chest back up, she noticed her eyes only met his messy hair that was as green as the bow at her collar. She had to look down to meet his twinkling brown eyes. Her old friends at home would undoubtedly point out how handsome and exotic this guy was, but handsome boys were the last thing on her mind right now.

Wakai backed out of the room and walked through the hallway with the new student beside him. He started telling her about the school but stopped when he met her eyes. She could not hide the fact that it required a lot of effort to understand everything he said. He smiled.

“You are quite tall, aren’t you?” he asked and she halted her step.

“Uhm, I should not talk English, I need to learn Japanese,” she stammered. He shot her another smile at her reply in his mother tongue.

“So you do understand English. I know you should learn Japanese, of course you should. However, I am here to welcome you and I want to make you feel comfortable. So as long as you are not confident speaking Japanese, I will talk English. My English is not very good though, most people our age do not speak it very well.”

He was trying to make her comfortable. He tried to reach out to her. He spoke so confidently in a strange tongue. The least she could do was accept his offer.

“Thank you very much, Wakai… Wakai-senpai. I learnt English at home and school, but not Japanese, so it is hard to speak to natives for me,” she said with a grateful smile which he answered with an approving nod.

“As I was saying, you are quite tall. You might not be that much taller than me, but compared to a lot of students, you are like… Like a tree!”

It turned out Wakai was a very knowledgeable guide and good company. She had already seen the grounds and building when she visited with her parents, but he told her things only a student would know or care about. Where the bullies hung around, where you could best relax during breaks in the summer, where you could sneak off to with that special someone. She soon found herself smiling and genuinely enjoying her time with Wakai. He even introduced her to some of his friends, who tried to converse with her in their best English. At the end of the tour, he walked her to her classroom where she would have her first lesson: mathematics. Her teacher was waiting for them in front of the door.

“You will be okay, little cherry tree. The second year has a lot of nice people. Good luck!” Wakai said while giving her a thumbs up after the teacher dismissed him. She smiled and sighed in an attempt to relieve her anxiety. The teacher led her into the room and the class went silent.

“Class, I would like to introduce you to your new classmate. She recently moved here from the Netherlands so please be kind to her. Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Hello. My name is Akker Hanna. It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said and bowed. Perfect. Exactly as she had practised. She grinned as she straightened her back and looked at the class. They all seemed interested in the foreigner standing before them. Some smiled at her, others simply stared. One of the girls in the back gave her a small wave.

“Thank you, please take a seat, Akkaa.”

Akkaa. That is what her peers would call her from now on. They would not call her Hanna, her own name, but only use her parents’ name. Her mother said others could call her Hanna again if she was close to them, but she never told her when she would be close enough. Maybe no one would call her Hanna again.

She took her place at the empty desk in the back. When she sat down a few of her neighbours gave her a quick greeting which she answered with a nod and a smile. She fished her materials out of her bag as the teacher began the lesson. The backs of her peers were all she could see from this position. The others sitting in her row had their eyes trained on the blackboard in front of them. She smiled. This was where she was comfortable. In the back, covering their backs. She would win this fight, she would overcome these obstacles. She was sure of this: she would be a part of Raimon.


	2. Little Cherry

Hanna had never felt this lonely before in her entire life.

After her first lesson, her classmates had flocked around her. Wakai had told the truth when he said her peers would be nice, but they were a little too nice for her liking. Some simply wanted to greet and welcome her, but some bombarded her with questions about Europe. What is the food like? Why did you leave? What is the weather like? Are the soccer players really that good over there? Do you live near a castle? Luckily everyone kept talking over each other, so she did not actually have to answer their enquiries.

Eventually, the buzz died down and she was pulled along by a group of girls that were eager to talk on their way to the next class. Once they realised the new girl was quite unresponsive, they did not bother trying to get her to tell them about herself again. Though Hanna was relieved she would not have to speak Japanese, she was also cursing herself for not replying and scaring off potential friends. 

The following lessons, days and weeks, her fellow students would be happy to help her with finding her way, but they also knew they would not get a conversation out of her. Some people would randomly walk up to her and ask her a question about either herself or Europe, which she would try to answer to the best of her ability. After a few days, she had probably already heard every question twice. One of them was unforgettable though; a cheery boy had asked her about European soccer. She was surprised, especially since he decided to approach her while she had one sandwich in her mouth, another in her hand and was trying to pick up her bag.

Soccer. The one thing Hanna loved doing most. She had played outside with her friends every day and played in a team with girls that enjoyed it too. She had followed the European leagues closely and trained tirelessly to become better than the boys at her local club. There was so much she could tell him (after her sandwich had fallen out of her mouth) that she did not actually say anything in the end. 

“The players are very good, they have very powerful techniques. Uhm, their tactics are, uh, the tactics are very… Effective?” she had managed to say and even though she had told him nothing new, his eyes had lit up. 

“Soccer is really great, isn’t it, Akkaa? I’m the goalkeeper and captain of the soccer club here, Endou Mamoru. Feel free to visit if you want to play!” he had told her excitedly before his friend, a girl she recognised as Kino Aki, pulled him away and told him to stop assaulting the poor foreigner.

Endou had piqued her interest. When she initially came to Japan, her parents had promised she would be able to play in a team again, but after a couple of weeks, they told her the only team she could play at was the one at her school. Unfortunately, she had not seen any trace of a soccer club at Raimon aside from the field in front of the entrance which was used for everything except the game. When Hanna saw Wakai again, she decided to ask him about it and he had laughed at her question. Apparently, Endou was known as the soccer freak of the school. He informed her that Raimon did not even have eleven members and was not allowed to use the field that was a remnant of the successful days of Raimon’s soccer.

Her disappointment had been immeasurable and her day was ruined. And all the days after that. Her hope of playing with a team again was gone. The only thing Hanna could do was practise on her own, running around town, improving her balance with improvised devices, dribble a ball around in her backyard. No matter how high she set the bar, nothing gave her the satisfaction she got from performing well in a team.

After more weeks of solitude, a new student showed up: Gouenji Shuuya, a transfer from another school. With the arrival of a new curiosity, interest in the Dutch girl soon dropped.

“Akkaa, have you heard? Your boy Endou has been looking for members to join his club again. Apparently, they are playing against the strongest team in the country, but I am no expert,” Wakai greeted her as he leaned against the wall next to her. Hanna had decided to spend her free time after school outside and try to get some happiness from the sun. Her plan was not successful. “Oh, there he is!” he continued and pointed at the boy running towards the tennis courts with a big sign that undoubtedly said ‘Members wanted!’.

“The strongest team?” Hanna questioned. “Is that the Teikoku Gakuen they have been talking about? Why would they want to play against a team that does not exist?” She had heard the other students talk about Teikoku Gakuen, but she had not realised it was related to Endou’s search for more members.

“It does not exist yet, keyword being yet, little cherry. No idea, though. But why don’t you join the team? You might make some friends.”

“If they play against such a strong team, they will be defeated. There is no use in joining a team that consists of beginners and wants to challenge such opponents.”

“Beginners? You talk as if you have some experience! Why didn’t you join them earlier and teach them how to play?”

Hanna sighed and looked up at the sky. “How could I teach them to play properly if I can’t even speak Japanese properly?” Wakai matched her sigh and frowned. She considered the silence that followed his surrender, but then he reverted to his mother tongue.

“Please, Akkaa. I appreciate the exercise in English by talking to you, but you also need to practise your Japanese. I know you have been studying like crazy and can understand me. Writing and reading, sure, even for us natives it takes some time to master, but I believe you can already speak our language. You just have to start talking to others and soon you will speak as if you were born and raised here. You’re a smart girl. You need to find some friends in your own grade because I will not be around to keep checking in on you next year.”

Hanna lowered her gaze from the lone cloud she was studying to the boy looking at her with concern. She hesitated, but took the leap and matched his language switch.

“I am scared, Wakai,” she admitted. “I do not feel confident using this language. I cannot express myself.”

Wakai smiled. “It is okay to be scared. You don’t need to show off with complex sentences and perfect pronunciation and grammar. Just talk to others and try to get as close to the essence of what you want to say. You will see that if you reach out, others will help.” Tears threatened to spill from Hanna’s eyes at his words. She hated showing weakness. She did not want to ask for help. She needed to be independent and strong. She took a deep breath and straightened her back.

“I will not join them,” she said firmly. “If they are trying to form a serious team, they probably will not be looking for girls to join. Girls are not as strong as boys.”

“I think they are looking for anyone at this point. Soon they will try to pass off an elementary school kid as a student of Raimon to reach eleven!”

“I refuse. Bye,” She replied blankly before picking up her bag and hurrying off. She could hear Wakai call her name and follow her, but then Hanna also heard Endou’s voice asking him to join the club. Brushing the tears from her cheeks and eyes she made her way home. As soon as she reached her bed, she broke down and cried.


	3. A New Hope

Raimon’s club had… Won? Hanna could not believe her ears. In fact, she did not believe her ears when she first heard it. However, the match against Teikoku was all the students would talk about. The national champions had steamrolled Raimon, but the transfer student, Gouenji, had scored a single point for the school and Teikoku forfeited the match soon after. Hanna had not witnessed any of this. She had been avoiding the soccer club, Endou and Wakai and decided to not attend the match.

In her eyes, a forfeit match was not a won match. If the opposing team only has to stand still and can still win, it is not a victory for the weaker team if they decide to leave and not waste their time. Perhaps she was envious of the fact that Raimon actually got to play with a team. Talented or not, Endou did manage to gather enough players to have a match. 

Sitting in Japanese class, she stared at the captain’s back. She had told herself to always keep her focus on the lesson and the teacher for this class in particular, but she could not help herself that day. Alongside her crippling anxiety caused by her language skills, something else was eating at her. A burning desire. She wanted to play soccer again.

She glanced at the desk next to her that was occupied by the surprise striker, Gouenji. He was fiddling with a pencil and staring at his textbook, which was on the wrong page. Hanna concluded that evidently, he must also be distracted by the game. Sensing someone was looking at him, he lifted his gaze and met her eyes briefly before she quickly looked down.

‘You were right, Wakai. I have been studying a lot. With practice, I could speak to others with my own voice,’ she thought as she leafed through her notebook, comparing her simple sentences and messy writing at the front to the more complex and neater items she had written down mere minutes earlier. The lesson ended.

“Akkaa! Please, stay seated, I have something to discuss with you,” her teacher called out. Thinking she must have noticed her lack of attention, Hanna anxiously waited for the other students to leave, once again meeting Gouenji’s gaze as he passed her.

“It has been quite a while since you came here, has it not?” Miss Kimoto said with a gentle voice. “I am glad you are taking these classes seriously. However, based on what you have been handing in I must say there is still a lot you need to learn. Maybe it is better for you to follow an alternative course, one that will be closer to your level.”

She was calling her weak, unprepared, not skilled enough.

“I do not want an alternative course, Miss. I would be treated like a beginner or a little kid, but the world would treat me like my classmates. I must reach their level of Japanese,” Hanna replied while staring at her desk. A short silence followed, but then Miss Kimoto let out a gentle laugh.

“That is quite a challenge, Akkaa. But you have proved yourself to be a determined young lady. If this is what you want, I will not stop you. How about we plan a test for you? I will make a written exam for you to test your vocabulary and grammar and we can have an oral exam to test your speaking ability. All of this would be on the level a kid around your age would have.”

A test designed for her. The thought of her teacher putting this much effort in helping her reach her desired level of Japanese made her face heat up. Despite her embarrassment, she could not deny this would be a perfect goal to work towards.

“If you would be willing to do that for me, I would very much like to do it,” Hanna said with a shy smile. After settling some details she left the room and she walked towards the window across the hallway. She stretched her arms out above her head towards the light that shone through the clouds. She would tackle this challenge. Lowering her arms again, she looked down at the soccer field that stretched out before her.

“If you prove yourself to be an actual soccer team, Endou, I will join you. I don’t want to waste my time on a team that achieves nothing,” she muttered. She had overheard the goalkeeper talking about their upcoming match earlier that day. If they win, they would get to enter the Football Frontier, which was apparently the national championships. If she seriously wanted to become a Japanese speaker, she should also seriously consider joining the soccer club. Back home she met most of her friends by kicking a ball around with them, so why would it be any different here? A laugh left her mouth. 

‘Just like home,’ she thought to herself.

“I’m home!” Hanna called out as she closed the door behind her later that day.

“Hanna? You’re early!” her mother replied and she poked her head out into the hallway. “But so am I, so how about I ask your dad to get dinner going so we can have an early one? It’s pasta day.”

“Thanks, Mama, I’d love that,” Hanna grinned. Her mother was taken aback by her chipper attitude. Her daughter had come back fatigued and despondent every single day, not a trace of a smile on her face. She headed into the kitchen to set the table after dropping off her bag in her bedroom. “Hello, Papa, how was your day?”

“Hallo, my child, how was your day?” her father replied curiously with a raised eyebrow. “You seem happy. Did something happen? Did you make some friends? Did you get a boyfriend?”

“Dad!”

“A girlfriend?”

“Papa, please. I just had a conversation with my Japanese teacher.”

“Sorry, honey, I won’t tease you again, today at least. Your Japanese teacher… That’s Miss Kimoto, right? Or was it Mister Fuyukai?”

“It’s Miss Kimoto, darling,” Hanna’s mother said as she grabbed some plates from the cupboard. “What did you talk about?”

“She offered to let me take a test in a while!” Hanna said excitedly. Her parents listened to her explanation and were surprised by their agreement. “So now I have a goal to work towards. If I pass, it will prove I am just as good as the others!” Her mother hugged and congratulated her, but her father moved the spoon around in the pan aimlessly.

“That is great, Hanna,” he said gingerly, “but does this mean you will also start talking to others? We have been here for a few weeks now and you still haven’t brought any friends home. You don’t talk about any either.” He noticed his daughter’s smile turn into a frown. “Don’t get me wrong,” he added swiftly, “I don’t want to force you, but I just don’t want you to be lonely, sweetheart.”

“Don’t be like that, Jacob, this is a happy moment,” her mother scolded him. Hanna pulled away from her embrace and looked at her parents.

“No, he is right, I should talk to others…” Hanna said anxiously. “Uhm, well, there is this club… The school’s soccer club has recently gained enough members to form a team and maybe… Maybe I could join.”

“A soccer club?” her father exclaimed. “That would be perfect, wouldn’t it? You love playing soccer. You used to go out every day to play with Robbie, but from what I’ve seen you do in the backyard, you haven’t been feeling that spark in quite some time, haven’t you? Maybe this is exactly what you need to get back into it!” Hanna’s cheeks flushed red at the mention of her old best buddy.

What must he be thinking of her? Here she was, his trusty friend, letting her skills deteriorate. She had promised she would continue training and become strong enough to block the special technique he was working on. If he was here, he would probably punch her arm, scold her and then keep shooting balls at her until she stopped one properly. At this point, she would welcome the impact of those powerful shots; her body was aching to be put to work again.

“I will think about it,” Hanna replied, “but I don’t want to waste my time playing for a team that can’t win or practise seriously. They have a match coming up in less than a week, so if they do well then, I will ask to join them.”

“Still critical as ever, I see. You might want to watch out with that attitude, that team might exceed your expectations!” her father laughed as he placed the food on the table.

‘Maybe they will exceed my expectations…’ Hanna repeated in her mind. What if they actually would? In her eyes, they lost to Teikoku, but that was supposed to be the strongest team in the country, so maybe they would perform pretty well against other opponents. If they turned out to be talented after all, would they still want a girl to join? One that could not even communicate properly with them (yet)?

She ate her dinner in silence and simply listened to one of her mother’s stories about her work and colleagues and fiddled with her fork. A girl cannot have the same power or endurance as a boy, that is what they always said. None of the national teams had girls in them, so the best clubs did not either. Hanna hated the fact that girls were considered insignificant on the field. She may not have the physical strength and endurance, but she did have a lot of skill and agility. No boy could pass her whenever she stood in the way unless they just shoved her aside (but even then, Robbie would make sure they would not try that again). 

Maybe she could pretend to be a boy in order to get in and then prove herself. As soon as she was dismissed by her parents, she went into her bedroom and stripped off her school uniform. Her idea had to be tested. She put on some simple shorts and a shirt and stood in front of the mirror.

‘I need to make my hair and face seem more masculine somehow…’ she thought as she removed the braids from her hair and let everything hang loose past her shoulders. A lot of boys also had longer hair though, so maybe it would not matter. She could bind her chest with some bandages and tape to flatten it without issue. Her voice should probably be a bit lower, but luckily her voice was not very high-pitched anyway. Perhaps the years of being called too boyish would finally pay off.

“It should be okay,” she muttered. “As long as Endou does not notice- Wait. Endou knows me.” The sudden realisation made her feel incredibly foolish. How could she forget that important detail? Everyone at school knew her. A tall foreigner that joined only mere weeks ago. A girl Endou himself had talked to. If the eye contact earlier that day was anything to go by, Gouenji would also recognise her. Hanna let out a big sigh in defeat and flopped onto her bed, hugging the golden deer plushie that lay on there. She heard the bedroom door open.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” her father said as he sat down on the bed and put a hand on her back.

“What if I’m not good enough? What if they don’t want a girl on their team? What if my skills are simply not good enough?” Hanna asked as she felt tears running down her cheeks. Her father was silent for a moment.

“Look at me, Hanna.”

She reluctantly lifted her head and looked at her father, whose eyes showed a fiery determination.

“Do you remember what the trainer said when you got to join a session of the professional team?”

She thought for a moment, confused.

“If I keep blocking shots in that manner, Robbie will shatter my ribs or destroy my knees?”

“What? N-no,” her father said awkwardly, mildly concerned. “I meant what he said about you as a person. I believe he said: ‘I wish I could have at least one player that is as eager, self-critical and determined as you in every team.’”

“He did say that yeah” Hanna smiled sadly. “He called Robbie too impatient and hot-headed after that.”

“This is not about Robbie, Hanna,” her dad continued and her smile fell. “This is about you. You are an amazing player. I believe the praise you have received from your trainers and coaches was justified. So if you deem that team worthy of your presence, ask them to let you join and show them you are willing to work hard and have great skills already.”

That definitely boosted her confidence.

“Thanks, Papa.”

“Hey, I couldn’t bring honour to the Akker family name, so now it’s your turn!”

“As if there was any honour to our family name to begin with,” she giggled.

“Do not underestimate our family, Hanna Akker!” he laughed. “It is up to you now to make sure the world will not forget us.”

“Don’t worry, Papa, I will not disappoint you.”

“That’s my girl,” her father said as he kissed her forehead.

Hanna spent the following days planning her Japanese studies and practising her soccer fundamentals. Before she knew it, the day of Raimon’s match had arrived. Watching them play was invigorating. Their spirit, their refusal to give up. It seemed some of their hissatsu techniques only came to fruition during the match.

‘A team like that… It is beautiful. It has so much potential,’ Hanna thought. Even though she was impressed, she also noticed some weak points within the team. There seemed to be a lot of arguing going on and their defence and midfield lacked some experience. ‘Perhaps this is where I can help… Endou seems to be shouldering most of the defence. If he keeps doing this in every match, he would not be able to keep the goal clear.’

She had decided. She wanted, no, needed to join. She would improve her Japanese, make friends and above all, have a ball doing it.

“Kino.”

The green-haired girl halted as she was about to walk into the school the day after the match.

“Oh, Akkaa? Do you need anything?” she asked.

“Yes. I-I…,” Hanna began hesitantly. This was it. “I’d like to join the soccer club.” Kino stared at her for a moment in response. Maybe Hanna had been right when she thought they would not allow girls? She was about to try and convince the manager when she noticed a large grin pop up on Kino’s face.

“That is great!” she told her happily. “I am sure the others will love having you join them. We have our last lesson together, right? I will tell Endou about it and then I can escort and introduce you to the rest of the team!” A smile to match Kino’s crept onto Hanna’s face.

“Thank you so much! I will not disappoint!”


	4. Number Thirteen

“Slow down, Endou!”

“Everyone, meet our new player: Akkaa Hanna!” Endou yelled as he threw the door open and pulled said girl inside the clubroom. Hanna gently but firmly pulled her wrist out of Endou’s grasp. He had insisted on introducing her to the team himself when Kino had told him about her wish to join. He initially thought she wanted to be a manager, but had been pleasantly surprised when Hanna had rectified the mistake. Now she was standing in front of the other eleven members, Kino and the other manager she had not met yet. While Kino gave her a welcoming smile, most of the boys looked surprised, to say the least.

“A girl?” the boy with a striped cap asked.

“The European chick?” the guy she recognised as Someoka, one of the forwards, exclaimed. “We are not desperate for members anymore, are we?” Hanna frowned and held her hands in front of her chest as she rubbed her wrist. It seemed like not all members were as accepting as Endou and Kino from the get-go but she had expected as much.

“It is nice to meet you all,” she said cautiously. “I recently moved to Japan from the Netherlands. I played soccer at home a lot. I hope to join the team as a defender.” Endou clapped her on the back and she gasped for air at impact.

“She has experience!” he grinned. “The least we can do is give her a chance, guys.”

“Endou is right,” one of the boys sitting on the ground said as he smiled at her. “We are happy to have you, Akkaa. I am Kazemaru Ichirouta and I am also a defender. Before Endou requested for me to join the soccer club, I was a member of the athletics team, so you might actually have more experience than me.” Hanna returned his smiled and gave him a thankful nod. He clearly understood her predicament. With two members of the team vocally supporting the new recruit, the rest of the team followed Kazemaru’s example and introduced themselves.

“Kabeyama Heigorou, defender!”

“And Shourinji Ayumu, midfielder!”

“Kurimatsu Teppei, also defender!”

“Nice to meet you. Matsuno Kuusuke, forward.”

“Kageno Jin… Defence…”

“Megane Kakeru.”

“Handa Shinichi and Shishido Sakichi, midfielders!”

“Tsk, Someoka Ryuugo, striker.”

“Gouenji Shuuya, forward. Welcome.” 

“And I am Otonashi Haruna, I’m one of the managers! Lovely to meet you, Akkaa. I hope we can be friends!” Otonashi finished as she and Kino smiled at her.

“Thank you, everyone. I hope we work as a team,” Hanna said as she took in the team before her. She had already seen them play at the match against Occult Junior High but had not had the chance to actually get to know them. She recognised some names and faces from her classes and talk of her classmates, but others were completely unfamiliar. Before she could ask any questions, Endou broke out in a rousing cheer.

“Now that’s done: guys, are you ready?!”

His enthusiasm had already caught on and the team loudly gave their unanimous answer. Hanna was once again astounded by the team’s spirit. When she had come in, every player seemed to be completely different compared to the others, but whenever Endou spoke, they united. Taking a step aside, Hanna joined Kageno’s side and slid down along the wall to let the captain take the spotlight.

“Nice to meet you…” The words quietly flowed into her ear without a clear source, sending chills down her spine. Glancing to her right, she saw Kageno had slightly turned his head towards her.

“Nice to meet you too, Kageno. Let’s defend together,” she replied quietly and smiled. He quickly turned his head back towards Endou. ‘What a strange guy… Well, they are all a bit strange, but still…’ Hanna thought, but before she could continue her train of thought the door opened again. In came the coach, Mister Fuyukai, and soon after a tall boy that introduced himself as Domon Asuka. 

“I’d like to be a defender,” he said. Hanna gulped and averted her eyes to the floor. ‘Another defender… The team already has four,’ she pondered as she glanced around the room. ‘Kurimatsu, Kabeyama, Kazemaru and… Kageno, yes, Kageno. If this Domon guy and I both want to be defenders, one of us or one of them might have to be moved to another position or be benched most of the time… I guess I will just have to prove myself in order to be a regular player.’ She turned her attention back to the conversation about their first opponent. 

According to Domon, the team of Nose Junior High could counter their attacks from above. Supposedly, they had a very mobile defence and great skill in the air. Based on what Hanna had seen, she had to agree with Domon; even Dragon Tornado would have difficulty breaking through such a defence. 

“A new hissatsu technique!” Endou yelled. His excitement met a concrete wall as the other boys remained unresponsive. “One that’ll let us control the skies!” Hanna smiled. There was no stopping this guy. Endou led the team outside, but before she could follow, Kino stopped her.

“Welcome to the club, Akkaa. Now we just need to get you and Domon a uniform! If you could wait here, we should have them lying around here somewhere.”

“Thanks, Aki,” Domon said as he stood beside Hanna. “So you are new here too? Nice to meet ya, Akkaa.”

“Yes, I am also new. My name is Akker Hanna. Nice to meet you, Domon,” Hanna answered shyly. Kino and Otonashi were rummaging around, looking for the jerseys. It was no surprise it was a challenge to find them because the clubroom was quite a mess. She had not had the opportunity yet to fully take in the room, but now that it was mostly empty, she noticed the pungent smell of sweat and the dust that coated most of the furniture. No wonder most of the players had been sitting on the floor earlier.

“You don’t seem to be from around here, what position do you play?” Domon asked.

“I am not Japanese, no. I am from Europe. My Japanese is not very good yet, sorry. I am a defender too.”

“Ah, a European! I lived in America for quite a while with Aki here,” he said with a smile while gesturing at his childhood friend, who seemed to be struggling with the door of one of the lockers. “Don’t worry, your Japanese sounds fine, you just need to speak up a bit more, I can barely hear you.”

“Sorry!” Hanna replied with increased volume, a bit too increased as a matter of fact.

“It’s okay. Hey, if you want, Aki and I can speak English if that’s easier for you.”

“N-no! Please, don’t do that,” Hanna said hurriedly. “I need to practise Japanese. It is one of the reasons why that I joined the club.” Speaking of speaking English, Hanna felt a twang of guilt as she remembered her last interaction with Wakai. He had clearly taken note of her attempts to avoid him and had not bothered her since. She made a mental note to apologise to him as soon as possible.

“Oh, I see, I see. Alright then, Japanese it is. It must be pretty annoying to come here and have people mispronounce your name,” Domon said as Otonashi rushed past them.

“I’ll be back soon, maybe they are still in the main building!” the manager called out.

“It does not bother me a lot because Akkaa is still pretty close to Akker, but it can be annoying, yes. It is more annoying that no one uses my first name,” Hanna replied after the door had closed.

“Ah yes, that is also something to get used to. You can ask others to use your first name though. Hanna is also way easier to pronounce properly,” Domon noted.

“Indeed, you only have to ask!” Kino said as she joined them.

“I am not sure about others calling me Hanna here,” she admitted while fiddling with her fingers. “It makes me feel more foreign if I ask to be called by my first name than to be called by my Dutch surname.”

“What do you mean?” Domon asked.

“Uhm…” Hanna hesitated, wondering how to explain it. She decided it would be best to keep her sentences short. “First names are a Western thing. If I ask to be called Hanna, I admit I am still living a European life, European culture. If others call me Akkaa, they see I am using Japanese culture.”

“So, you mean you want others to see you are trying to adopt a Japanese lifestyle by living according to Japanese customs?” Kino asked and Hanna nodded, happy that she understood.

“Insisting on living like a Japanese student, huh? You sure are determined, Akkaa!” Domon said.

“If you want, we can call each other by our first name, you know, as girl friends do,” Kino suggested with a smile. ‘As girl friends do…’ Hanna considered. Kino was calling her a friend.

“You… You consider me a friend?” she asked tentatively. 

“Of course! You are a part of the team now. I am sure Endou also considers you a friend and the other boys will too before you know it. You are my friend, Hanna,” Kino said and Domon chuckled. For weeks the European had been dreading the challenge of making new friends and within minutes of joining the soccer club, they already considered her a friend.

“Thank you… Thank you so much, Aki!” she exclaimed with a large grin.

“I got them!” Otonashi said as she opened the door while carrying a cardboard box under her arm. She set the box on the table next to the door and pulled out multiple pairs of shoes, socks, shorts and shirts. “I hope we have everything in your sizes, but you can always buy shoes and socks yourself. We can also adjust the size of the shirts if needed.” Aki laid out some of the shirts as Domon and Hanna looked for the right shoes.

“When we were assembling members, we gave everyone a number that corresponded with their position, but now that we have already passed eleven, we can just keep counting on,” Aki explained.

“Megane is already wearing number twelve. It would be most logical for you to wear thirteen and fourteen, but you can also choose another one,” Otonashi said as the new players looked at the jerseys. She seemed to have mostly brought back sizes that were meant for taller and leaner people, which would work for both Hanna’s and Domon’s body.

“’Ladies first’, as they say in the language I will not speak to you,” Domon teased and Hanna lightly jabbed an elbow between his ribs. She looked at the numbers ranging from thirteen to seventeen. She had no particular connection to any of those numbers. She always wanted to carry a four on her back, but one of the other defenders must already be wearing it.

“I will just take thirteen,” she concluded after thinking for a minute.

“Are you sure? Isn’t thirteen an unlucky number in your culture?” Otonashi asked.

“It is, but I am not really… Uhm… Quick to believe those things,” she stuttered, not finding the word for superstition. “I will make it work.” Otonashi smiled at her and held the shirts out to her.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have changing rooms, so you can walk with me to the school building and we’ll find a place you can try on your shirts and shorts,” Otonashi said as Hanna accepted the pieces.

“Well, I will choose the other end of the table then: number seventeen it is!” Domon said.

“Seventeen? Really? Now we have three empty slots between you and Hanna!” Aki exclaimed.

“Hey, hey! I get to choose too, remember? I like seventeen, it is a special number for me. Don’t go treating Akkaa differently now that she is your friend, Aki!” Domon retorted. Otonashi quickly placed the remaining articles of clothing back in the box.

“Come on, Akkaa, let’s get out of here before the storm breaks loose!” she said. Before Aki could say another word, Hanna had already opened the door and made a quick exit with the other manager, realising she did not want to be present for Aki’s reply. The two girls giggled as they made their way to the main building.


	5. A Simple Goal

“I’m sorry we don’t have a changing room for you,” the blue-haired girl apologised once more as she led Hanna through the hallways. “The boys share one with the baseball team, but they don’t have one for girls. I’ll ask the tennis and athletics clubs whether they have one you could use as soon as possible!”

“Thank you, Otonashi,” Hanna said with a small smile. These managers were really dedicated.

“This is where most of the equipment is stored, well, the stuff that doesn’t fit in the club’s building,” Otonashi said as she tried to move the box in her hands in order to open the door. Hanna opened it for her and the first-year gave her a grateful nod. She walked into the storage room and Hanna followed and looked around. There were cardboard boxes everywhere and a rack filled with soccer balls that had seen better days was standing in the corner. The ceiling light flickered every few seconds. Hanna sneezed and noticed the layers of dust that turned the shelves to her right white. Compared to this the clubroom was a palace, but it would have to do.

“Otonashi?” Hanna asked. She replied with a hum while putting down the box of clothing. “Can you stand in front of the door, please?”

“Huh? You want to get changed in here?” Otonashi exclaimed as she stood up. Hanna simply nodded. The manager frowned before leaving the room and sliding the door closed. “Tell me if you need help.”

Hanna sighed. At least she was alone for a moment. She was not very keen on the idea of changing in a changing room or bathroom filled with girls that would undoubtedly start asking questions. Hanna placed her recently received uniform on some boxes that seemed relatively free of dust and stripped.

She decided to try the smallest shirt first. Pulling it over her head, she soon realised it was a bit tight around her chest. She threw it off again and put on the one that seemed a size larger. It fell over her like a blanket and extended down to her thighs. It was clearly too long, but the top gave her just enough room to move around comfortably. Hanna spun around a few times to test it, careful not to hit anything and alert the girl waiting for her outside. ‘I could probably use this as a nightgown, but at least I can move around in this,’ she thought.

She tried on a few of the shorts until settling for the pair that ended above the knee like those of the guys and allowed her to move around. The remaining pieces were put back into the box Otonashi had set down. She tugged in her jersey and pulled some of the fabric out again to create enough space to move properly. Perfect. She popped the collar a few times, having seen Gouenji wear his turned up, before settling for the conventional choice. She smirked and opened the door and light streamed into the room.

“Akker Hanna, Raimon Junior High, number thirteen, defender. Nice to meet you,” she said confidently as Otonashi turned around to face her.

“Look at you! It is as if a whole other person is standing before me,” she said with a charming smile which made the player blush. “It looks like the shirt is a bit big, but you seem comfortable in it.” 

“It feels nice. Let’s go back to the club, I want to, uh, restrain my hair,” Hanna said as she gathered up her school uniform and closed the door behind her as she stepped out.

“Of course,” Otonashi replied as she led the way again. Hanna took a closer look at the blue-haired girl. The colour of her uniform seemed to indicate she was a first-year but she was in no way less serious or polite than Aki. From the moment Hanna had entered the clubroom, she had been more than happy to welcome her and her frequent glances seemed to indicate she wanted to say something to her.

‘Maybe she is scared?’ Hanna considered. ‘Or maybe she is just being polite and doesn’t want to bother me…’ Whatever the answer was, Hanna was content to simply walk in silence, appreciating the peace before she would have to be near Endou’s limitless excitement again. When they reached the team, Domon had already changed too and the team was standing around an… An aerial platform? Where did they get that from?

“Hey, Akkaa! Our shirt looks great on you,” Endou shouted as he noticed her. Based on the looks on some of her new teammates' faces, that sounded just as wrong as the translation in her mind. “Mister Furukabu is going to tell us about the legendary Inazuma Eleven!”

“O-okay!” she awkwardly called back, “I will join you in a moment!”

She quickly ran inside to grab a hair tie. She had never heard of the name Inazuma Eleven, but that was no surprise. Hanna ran outside again and joined the others sitting at the side of the building after putting her hair in a simple ponytail. She fell to her knees behind Gouenji and Handa, who scooted aside to let her join the group. Handa shot her a brief smile as the man that must be Furukabu started talking.

The man explained there used to be a very powerful team that was coached by Endou’s grandfather, Daisuke. Hanna was surprised by the fact that Endou seemed surprised. How could he, the soccer freak, not know this about his own family? She giggled quietly as he started fantasising about the team becoming as good as the Inazuma Eleven.

“And of course, we now have Domon and Akkaa to help us too!” the goalkeeper said. Hanna blushed. She did say she would help Raimon better their defence, but now that she was actually here, she wondered if she had been a bit overconfident. Sure, she had some prior experience, but that was no guarantee for being a good asset to Raimon’s team.

“Hey, not so fast,” Someoka interjected. “We haven’t even seen them play yet!”

“You’re right!” Kurimatsu, one of the defenders, said.

“Well, let’s show you what we are made of then,” Domon said as he stood up and extended a hand to Hanna. “Ready, Akkaa?” Hanna stared at his hand for a moment before taking it and standing up. This was her time. If she could prove herself now, she would definitely be in.

“Let’s go,” she said firmly. Since they were both defenders, the team decided to test the recruits by tasking them with the defence of the goal that was occupied by Endou. Kurimatsu and Kabeyama were at their side to provide passing options. The forwards, Kazemaru and Handa were lined up in front of them.

“The goal is simple: defend the goal,” Aki said as she stood on the side.

“Good luck, Akkaa! Domon!” Endou called from behind them. Hanna smirked and focused her attention on the attackers coming her way. She quickly intercepted the ball as Handa came towards her and passed it off to Domon who dribbled past Someoka.

“Not bad,” Handa said with a small smile, “but that was a free one.”

The following minutes were spent stealing, dribbling, passing and blocking shots. Most of Hanna’s actions were successful, but her opponents always proved to be a challenge. She was outmatched by Kazemaru’s speed and Gouenji was very skilled at dribbling. Her physical strength was nothing compared to the rough output of Someoka, who was not afraid of a little shove here and there. Matsuno surprised her; she had not seen that much of him yet, but he had some sly tricks to get past her.

As time went on her endurance started showing its limits and her success rate faltered. However, no shot that required much action from Endou had reached the goal yet.

“Are you bored yet, Endou?” Kazemaru asked after Domon had knocked the ball out of bounds with a sliding tackle. It looked like he could still go on a while longer but he was also starting to show signs of fatigue along with the other players on the field.

“No way!” the goalkeeper yelled. “It is great to watch you all.” Hanna smiled as he gave her a thumbs up.

“I think we can end on that note,” Aki said as she neared them. The team agreed and Someoka led most of the players away towards the clubroom.

“Your tackles are something else, Domon!” Kurimatsu exclaimed, “Where did you learn to slide like that?” Hanna had to agree that his slidings were incredible. His long legs easily slid under his opponent's legs and he also managed to aim his following pass decently. Based on steals, he was without a doubt a superior defender. 

“Lots of practice,” Domon replied as he towered over Kurimatsu with a playful smirk, “and eating your veggies.” The smaller boy glared at his taunt.

“You’re not bad either, Akkaa,” Matsuno said as he appeared at her side. “You have to show us how to do a side step like yours.”

“T-thank you,” Hanna replied with a light blush. “It is a fundamental skill, really…”

“Don’t be so shy,” Kazemaru said as he adjusted his hair. “I think you’re a good player. You also seem very flexible! I am sure the gymnastics team would be happy to have you if you ever grow tired of these guys.”

“D-don’t suggest leaving the club, Kazemaru,” Endou said with a worried chuckle. “She only just joined, we can’t lose her immediately!” Hanna laughed.

“Don’t worry, Endou. I will not abandon soccer,” she said and smiled. Endou gave her a large smile in return.

“It is good to have you, Akkaa,” Gouenji said, making Hanna jump and blush again in embarrassment as a result. She had not noticed him come up behind her. She had expected him to leave with Someoka as soon as they were done since he did not seem like the talkative type. “I look forward to seeing what you can do in a match.” 

“Well, I guess we passed that test then,” Domon sighed in relief. Hanna smiled and nodded shyly. She had not done anything stupid. Even though some of them got passed her, she had shown them she knew what she was talking, or rather playing, about. She looked to her left as a small soft hand touched upper arm. Hanna’s eyes were guided along the arm to the smiling face of her new friend Aki.

“Welcome to Raimon, Hanna.”


	6. New Game Plan

While the boys had headed off towards their changing room, Otonashi had informed Hanna she could use the girls’ athletics changing room from now on and led her towards the showers. By the time she was finished and back in her school uniform, the rest of the team had already left. The sun still stood high in the sky when she commenced her walk home. Along the way, she thought about the team and their plans for the next match.

Endou had suggested a new shoot hissatsu to overcome the aerial defence of Nose. Hanna was no good when it came to shooting a powerful shot. Raimon had some incredible forwards though. Someoka was a force to be reckoned with and Gouenji was an all-around great player. During their practice that day, the flame striker had fired some impressive shots and Hanna had had the honour of trying to stop him. The thought of blocking a shot like Fire Tornado excited her and made an almost crazed grin appear on her face. Matsuno could not be forgotten either. He did not have any hissatsu techniques yet, but his stamina and strength showed a lot of promise. He could easily run back to the midfield, dribble up to the penalty area and launch an attack without stopping. Yes, the attack was in good hands with those three.

Perhaps the best course of action for Hanna was practising stealing and dribbling. If she could efficiently take the ball from the opponent and pass it towards the forwards, a goal would not be far away. Training specifically for the match against Nose would probably be wasted time since they would tackle that in collective practice tomorrow and it was unlikely that the team would decide to put her in the base formation at the first opportunity. If she wanted to play an actual match, she would have to make sure she was a valuable asset to the defence and the team as a whole.

She was already happy that the team was willing to let her join in the first place. Thinking back on the time she had spent worrying about being rejected, she realised she had been overthinking her new life. She had already made a new friend! Furthermore, if Aki’s words were true, the rest of the team would be her friend too in no time.

‘Maybe I could even work on a hissatsu of my own,’ Hanna thought as she neared her home. ‘Why not, you know? The others will be focused on creating more shooting techniques, but so far the team only really has those and a catching technique.’ She had fantasised about hissatsus before but never actually considered mastering one at her level back in the Netherlands. Somewhere in her room, she had a notebook which was filled with concepts she had thought up on her own and with Robbie. Most of them were simply impossible or way too difficult for them and were shooting techniques at that. However, there were also dribbling and defensive techniques. As she opened the front door, she decided to go look for it later that night and flip through it before bed.

She discovered her parents were not home yet and wrote a small note stating her whereabouts before grabbing the soccer ball she had brought with her from Europe. She was about to step outside when she realised she was still wearing her skirt and blouse. After changing into some shorts and a tank top, she left the house for real and made her way to the playground nearby. She passed the grounds every day on her route to and from school but had never actually set foot on it on any other occasion. It was rather small but had two swings, a simple climbing frame and two soccer goals. Hanna had never actually seen children play here but she did not find that surprising based on the neighbourhood.

Their house was located on the edge of an area that contained mostly mansions that had large backyards where the rich kids could play. Her own home was not small either but was a shack compared to some of their neighbours’ housing. Her parents had initially been looking at a house that was in a more cosy area that was also closer to Raimon, but in the end, they decided to choose this one because it was near the school she was planned to enrol at first.

She placed the ball at the centre of the small pitch. Today, there was no one else around either. She let out a sigh and stretched. She was relieved to have some practice without her teammates judging her skills. After loosening up and grounding herself, she pushed the ball forward and started dribbling. She imagined opponents trying to stop her and having to charge, dodge and feint.

After a while, she noticed some footsteps along the edge of the playground but did not bother looking up and letting herself be distracted. However, when she turned around to get away from her fictional opponent, she found herself being pushed back and falling on the ground. She groaned and lifted her head to look at the feet in front of her that had her ball.

‘Who the hell?’ she wondered as she directed her gaze upwards. The figure of a boy loomed over her in front of the sun, casting a large shadow over her. Whoever this guy was, if his plan had been to intimidate her, he had succeeded. Hanna scrambled to her feet and looked down at the boy that luckily was quite a bit shorter than her, reducing his threatening aura. He could not have been older than herself. He looked fit, Hanna noticed, and was wearing simple jeans and a black shirt. His brown hair was pulled back in what seemed to be a ponytail of thick dreads. His eyes were what caught her attention though, or rather the lack thereof. He was wearing goggles that obscured his eyes and prevented Hanna from reading them. Based on the curves of his eyebrows and lips, she deduced he found the situation rather amusing.

Hanna glared at him and stepped forward to reclaim her ball, but he simply took a step back with it. She tried again, this time putting some serious effort in, but failed. While Hanna kept trying to get her ball back, the boy simply avoided her advances. She started panting as time went on and she came not a single bit closer to her ball. The boy simply smirked at her, still full of energy with not a drop of sweat on his forehead. During the whole affair, they had not yet uttered a single word.

‘What is this guy’s deal?’ Hanna asked herself as she gritted her teeth. This guy was really getting on her nerves. She was just trying to practice her dribbles and- That is when she realised. By trying to reclaim her ball, she was also practising her steals.

‘Okay then, if you want to play this game, I will play it too,’ she thought and she took a deep breath before charging at him. The smirk disappeared from his face as he dodged not a second too late. He had noticed the change in her attitude. He started moving around more, forcing her to try and block him instead of simply stealing. It was Hanna’s time to smirk when she noticed some sweat dripping down his neck. He also had to work now. 

Suddenly, he turned to face her and dropped his left shoulder. She noticed his feint and charged to his right instead, claiming the ball before he could escape to the right as he had planned. She kicked the ball up into her hands and spun around with a smug smile. The boy simply chuckled at her satisfaction.

‘Wait, did he let me steal that?’ Hanna considered as her smile turned into a frown. The boy approached her and Hanna grasped the ball tightly, fearing he would take her precious ball again. He did not make a move for the ball though and simply walked past her with that same smug smirk that he had had on his face for most of their encounter. He lifted his hand in a small wave before walking off with his hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened, but something had certainly happened. Hanna hugged her ball close and laid herself down on the ground.

‘What did I just experience?’ she wondered. After staring up at the sky for a while, head both empty and filled with thoughts, she smiled. ‘Thanks, dude. You really helped me out there. I understand now that I still got a ways to go. I have to keep practising until I can stop you and pass you,’ she thought. ‘I hope we meet again.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far and comments are welcome!


	7. A Technique of her Own

“There you are!”

Hanna pulled a notebook out of the bottom drawer. She threw it on top of her desk and sat back in her chair with a sigh that doubled as a groan. Her muscles were starting to feel sore from all the exercise she had done that day. She grabbed the bowl of ice cream that her mother had left for her on her desk and placed the spoon in her mouth. Strawberry and vanilla: her favourite.

Her parents had been overjoyed when she had finally come home, half an hour too late, and told them she had joined the soccer club and made a friend. They were hoping this would be a step in the right direction for their daughter after weeks of being miserable. To celebrate this new development her mother had retrieved the ice cream from the refrigerator.

While enjoying her treat, Hanna looked at the cover of her hissatsu notebook. It was a vibrant orange with a large tear running across it in a diagonal line. Some pages had clearly been ripped out. A label bordered by a zigzag-line of black (she had thought it looked cool at the time) was placed in the upper right corner and said “The Epic Techniques of H” in English. Hanna smiled. She had initially used it as a journal to keep track of the techniques, both hissatsu and non-hissatsu, that she had seen in person or on TV. After her passion for soccer really took off though and her confidence and skill rose, she started writing down concepts for original techniques.

Setting down her half-empty bowl, she opened the notebook. She chuckled as she recognised some of the more lavish ideas she had had: a shot that required ten players, summoning a torrential wave to flush away the enemy team, a dribble that teleports the player, a shot for the goalkeeper that could reach the other goal with ease. Her eye fell on one of the more recent entries. It was a defensive technique that was partially based on the game of rugby.

Their family loved watching rugby. She especially loved watching the professionals clash in a battle of raw power and determination. The firm push of a tackle amazed her. Physical strength had never been her strong suit but watching those men gave her a kind of second-hand adrenaline rush. Even though she knew she could never possess a force like that, she had no intention of avoiding those that do. In fact, she loved running towards the strongest players on the field to experience their vigour.

However, running headfirst into the enemy was not part of this technique. It consisted of blocking the way of the opponent that has the ball and preparing for impact. Using the side of the body to form a shield, the opponent would not be able to simply pass them. The opponent would have to either try to charge through or the defender would charge at them if they tried to get around it. The defender would then resist and push the opponent back and steal the ball. In essence, it was not that difficult. Block, push, steal.

Hanna gazed out the window as she considered the difficulties of such a technique. ‘Pushing… If I want to do that, I will have to be able to accelerate quickly and withstand the opponent’s power at the same time…’ She sighed and spun her chair around. She remembered her ice cream and picked up the bowl. It had melted. Hanna frowned. How long had she just been sitting there?

“We’ll figure it out at practice,” she said as she lifted the bowl to her lips and drank the now fluid frozen dessert. “Best things happen in a flash,” she muttered and she licked her lips clean. The next day, she watched as her new teammates worked on their own ideas.

“Jumping Thunder!” 

Hanna lowered her water bottle to see Shourinji and Kurimatsu fall to the ground. She chuckled as she looked around the field. It was all rather silly. Everyone was trying out to invent new techniques. Endou had taken them to the soccer field on the riverbank of Inazuma Town. Hanna had not been there before since she had had no need to cross the river to get to Raimon.

“Working on your own, Akkaa?” a kind voice asked. She looked to her right and met Kazemaru’s eyes. She did not know what she was supposed to reply, so she settled on a simple ‘yes’. Panic crept onto her as Kazemaru frowned. Had she given a wrong answer? How?

“You will have to work with the team too, you know? In matches, you can be the best player, but you can’t win without working with the team,” he told her sternly. Hanna only just managed to prevent a scowl from forming. As if she did not know that. But how was she supposed to tell him that?

“I know,” she started, “but I have to… I have to have the skills to be good for the team.” Kazemaru kept frowning. It seemed like whatever he got from her short explanation was not what she had intended to convey. Why did it have to be so hard to explain herself?

“Okay, then, if that is what you want to do. Be careful and don’t overexert yourself,” he said and walked off. Naturally, she wanted to practise with the team but trying to come up with techniques for a match that she would play no or little part in seemed a waste of time. However, perhaps practising the basics on your own during the team’s practice was not the best idea. ‘I must look like a beginner…’ she thought.

When she had been practising with the mystery boy, she had not felt this shame. Compared to him, she had been an actual amateur. Looking like one in front of your team was another matter though. Hanna knew she was just as good a player as the rest of Raimon, but possibly not being seen as such frustrated her. The bastard of the day before had made fun of her without even opening his mouth and yet the words Kazemaru had uttered had touched her more. He probably bore no ill will towards her but his assumptions were still incredibly frustrating.

She dropped her bottle and took off again to run another lap with more vigour than before. Since she evidently had a lot of Japanese to practise that evening, she would have no time to go to the playground again. ‘I will show you, Kazemaru. I will show all of you that I can belong here!’ she thought as she passed him and Endou. ‘I promise…’


	8. The Notebook

Hanna rushed towards the clubroom. Changing at another place than the boys meant that she had no idea whether the others had already assembled or not. She opened the door and saw… A wall of furniture?

“Yo, Akkaa!” Domon greeted. He was leaning against the far-right window and gave her a little wave. Hanna simply stared in return. “Just in time.”

“The captain is about to tell us something confidential!” Kabeyama exclaimed. 

“That explains it,” she muttered. He and Domon were the only guys she could see from the door opening. Handa’s face appeared from under the whiteboard that obstructed her view and gave her a smile. He pointed towards his right and Hanna followed his direction. When she passed the cage with balls and reached some stacked tires, she could finally see the rest of the team huddled in a circle. Gouenji was the only one that had claimed a chair and was sitting at the entrance of the little fort. Hanna decided to stand behind him as Endou started this so-called secret meeting.

Endou spoke of a secret manual that his grandpa had used to document his techniques for the legendary Inazuma Eleven they had heard about two days before. He was convinced it was located in the chairman’s safe since the man that had told him about it had said it was lying hidden somewhere in the school. 

“Okay, let’s go!” Endou exclaimed as he got up and hopped over the desk to open the door.

“Captain, shouldn’t we clean this mess up first…” Kurimatsu called before giving up. He was already outside.

“I will do it,” Hanna said as everyone stood up.

“Are you sure? We caused all this…” Matsuno said while rubbing his neck.

“Yes. I was late,” Hanna replied with a sickly-sweet smile. “You go on.”

“Alright-y then,” the boy replied with an awkward smile of his own and he left the room with the rest of the team. Hanna dropped the sweet attitude with a large sigh as the door closed. In truth, she was simply not very keen on the idea of stealing from the chairman.

“Shall we clean this place up then?” a voice asked from behind her, making her jump and yelp. Hanna had not realised the flame striker was still in the room. Gouenji chuckled and moved his chair back to its original place. She quickly picked up one of the tires to hide the blush on her cheeks. She had not spent much time with Gouenji before (but honestly she had not spent much time with any of her teammates) and was surprised by his helpfulness. Maybe he was not helping her from the kindness of his heart but just wanted this to be done as quickly as possible. Or maybe he also did not want to be apprehended for breaking into a vault.

‘Should I say something to him?’ she thought as they finished moving the table. Before she could even try asking him a friendly question, the door slid open again.

“Matsuno? Back so soon?” Gouenji asked as the panting boy closed the door behind him.

“I was on the lookout…” he began as he accepted the chair Hanna offered him. “But then the chairman’s daughter, she showed up and told me to leave and, uh, well-”

“You bailed,” Gouenji stated and Matsuno gulped.

“In my defence, she was very intimidating…” he replied weakly and pulled at the ends of his cap. Hanna smiled weakly but could not judge him. She had not met this girl before as far as she knew, so it was only fair to give him the benefit of the doubt.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team barged in. The whole team crowded around Endou as he opened the notebook, except for Gouenji who had claimed his seat again and Domon who had jumped onto the tires stacked next to the door. Hanna was curious about what secrets were hidden in the manual but realised she could probably not even read it with her reading skills. She placed another chair next to Gouenji, who gave her a smirk as she joined him.

Apparently, she was not the only one that could not read it. Endou Daisuke’s handwriting was so terrible that only his grandson could read it after countless hours of trying to transcribe it. Hanna chuckled as Endou revealed his hidden skill. After examining the techniques in the manual, Endou eventually told them to get ready for their new secret weapon. Hanna leaned forward in her seat next to Gouenji as he began to dictate the description of Inazuma Otoshi. She grinned as she listened to the explanation with many onomatopoeias.

‘Of course!’ she thought. ‘If you use one player to step on, you can jump twice as high. By then using gravity and the shooters own power, you can launch a shot that cannot easily be stopped from above.’ Looking around the room, she noticed no one seemed to have the same realisation. She frowned. ‘Or maybe that is not what he meant?’

“This is getting us nowhere! Let’s just go back to training,” Someoka exclaimed as he got up and left the room. The others soon followed.

“Gouenji?” Hanna called out hesitantly before he could walk out the door. She just had to show her interpretation to someone. It made sense in her mind, but she was not sure she could explain it clearly enough when the whole team was looking at her. Their ace seemed like a safe option.

“Akkaa,” he answered as he waved Kazemaru outside. Hanna gulped and clutched the black marker in her hand. She removed the cap and turned to the whiteboard before drawing two arrows pointed upwards next to each other.

“Two boys jump,” she said confidently as she briefly turned back towards Gouenji. She drew a curved arrow from one to the other. “One step on the other.” Another arrow was added onto it. “One jump higher.” Hanna looked at Gouenji before continuing. He showed no emotion but seemed to be following her logic. Next to her first drawing, she drew a horizontal line and added a head, limbs and a ball at the foot. “Flip.” She drew a large arrow pointing down at the little man. “Uhm…” What was gravity again? “Earth power,” she said with a blush as Gouenji nodded. Good, he understood. Finishing her schematic, she drew an arrow diagonally towards the bottom of the board. “Power. Goal.”

Hanna capped the marker again and turned to face Gouenji fully. He walked closer to the board with his arms crossed. All she could do was anxiously await his judgement. At last, he smiled.

“Thank you, Akkaa,” he said gently, “I will tell Endou.” Hanna stared at him with wide eyes before smiling brightly and nodding. He got it!

“Love birds, hurry up. We’re training at Inazuma Tower!” Matsuno called out, briefly appearing in the door opening. Blushing, they swiftly followed him.

Once at the tower, Someoka had decided the team needed to practise blocking enemy techniques by stopping a giant swinging tire. Easy talking coming from him as a forward. How were they supposed to stop that thing? With their hands? As if they could use their hands to catch a ball in a match. Domon pulled her aside to safety as Someoka called out for someone to go first.

Hanna appreciated his gesture but stepped forward again to go second after Shishido, who had not managed to step away in time. ‘How bad could it be? There must be something to gain from this-’ her thoughts were cut off as Shishido was launched into the air.

“Oh. Shit.”

“Akkaa, run, now!” Domon hissed. “That thing will break you!”

“Akkaa-girl, you ready?” Someoka called. He was obviously not going to go easy on her.

“Y-yes?” she replied.

“Scared?” Someoka laughed. ‘Come on, Hanna. No time to be afraid on the field,’ she told herself.

“No,” she answered with nothing but determination. Someoka frowned at her sudden change in attitude before swinging the tire at her. Hanna kept her eyes on the threat and braced herself. She absorbed the impact with the side of her body while planting her feet firmly on the ground to prevent being knocked off her feet. The tire sent a shockwave through her body. She tried to keep her body stable for as long as possible and slid backwards before finally being launched and falling on her back a few feet away. At least it was better than Shishido.

Hanna smiled as she blinked at the sky. That hurt like hell. But it was a beautiful hell. Smile still present on her face, she scrambled to her feet and joined the group again.

“Uhm, are you okay?” Kurimatsu asked as the grin did not leave her face. “Did you hit your head?” Hanna blushed slightly in embarrassment. How was she supposed to explain she liked the feeling of being hit by something like that? Even to herself, it felt strange. No matter the language, she could not explain the feeling she got whenever she faced such a force.

“I am fine, thank you, Kurimatsu,” she said with a small bow before turning her attention to the next victim.

“Maybe she should hang out with Kageno, something is weird about that one…” she heard him whisper to Kabeyama. She smirked. ‘I don’t disagree with you, little one.’

“Kabeyama!” Endou called out after some time, waving him over to join him and Gouenji. Hanna met the striker’s eyes and he gave her a thumbs-up, causing another grin to appear on her face.

“Akkaa! Stop smiling and face the tire!” Someoka yelled.

“Duty calls…” she muttered before readying herself again. She would do better this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading so far! I appreciate the kudos and comments are welcome too :) <3


	9. On the Nose

The match against Nose was going to be a tough one. As soon as the first half began, the trouble started.

“How are we going to win without Inazuma Otoshi?” Megane asked no one in particular as he placed his head in his hands. Hanna crossed her legs and arms and sighed. Kabeyama had decided to withhold the information that he was afraid of heights before it was too late to change their strategy for the match. Despite the major inconvenience, the whole team remained supportive of Kabeyama and even though Hanna was frustrated, she knew she could not blame him for his phobia. For the last few days, she had tried to figure out a way to help Kabeyama by saying something to him but came up with nothing. If she were in his shoes, she would tell herself to get it together. However, she seemed to handle fear in a completely different way than him. Whereas he became anxious and ran away when his fear got the best of him, Hanna usually became very frustrated with the world and most of all herself.

Hanna also felt sad for Gouenji, who had been training tirelessly to master the jump and flip and had decided to compensate for Kabeyama and practise stepping on treacherous platforms. But the match was now in their hands, or feet rather, and all she could do was wait and watch with Domon and Megane on the bench.

Even if she were allowed on the field, it would not make much of a difference. She had not improved in any significant way in the past few days. Curiously enough though, Hanna had met the strange boy again at the playground the night before. This time he had simply approached her and held out his foot as an invitation to give him the ball. She did not get the ball back from him at any moment that night except for when he had made the ball bounce into her hands and walked off while calling her ‘cute’. Hanna clutched her arms as she remembered the single word he had spoken to her. He was not trying to compliment her. He had called her weak. She had to improve.

“What is Someoka doing?!”

The yell brought her attention back to the match as she watched the striker being slammed into one of the fences next to the pitch. He clutched his foot and Otonashi and Aki hurried over to him.

“He is injured…” Hanna said hopelessly as she saw him visibly wince when Aki touched him.

“Well, this is your chance,” Megane said to the newer players as he turned away. Hanna blinked. One of them was debuting today? Already?

“Hmm, our chance, Akkka,” Domon said as he stood up. “Who will take it? Shall we toss a coin? Draw straws?”

“N-no, you go,” she replied weakly. Domon frowned.

“Don’t be so insecure now. We are both capable players.”

“I know but… You can talk to the team…” Hanna muttered as she looked down at her feet. Domon sighed and gave her a pat on the head.

“Fine. You will make yourself useful, Akkaa, I just know it,” he said with a gentle smile before running onto the field. Hanna simply continued staring at her shoes.

“Welcome to the bench, Domon is already on the field,” Megane said as Someoka sat down with help from Endou and Gouenji. The striker glared at him and the small boy quickly hid behind Hanna’s back. ‘It must feel terrible for a player like Someoka to be forced onto the bench while he carries such a great responsibility for the team,’ she thought as she studied his face. She froze momentarily as he turned his head to look at her.

“Sorry, Someoka,” Hanna said gently. Someoka scoffed and turned away again. ‘Of course, you would not want my pity,’ she thought sadly.

The match continued with Kabeyama taking Someoka’s place as a forward and Domon in the defence. Her ex-benchmate performed extremely well, even performing his hissatsu Killer Slide, but the forwards floundered as Inazuma Otoshi failed time and time again. Nose’s team started to get quite a lot of shots to the goal but Endou stopped every single one.

‘Endou… You are burning your hands,’ she thought as she anxiously watched him block another ball. Hanna looked at the time and noticed there were only a few minutes left in the first half. She quickly stood up and looked around the bench before running back to their van.

“Akkaa?!” Someoka called. “Is she fleeing without even playing a single minute?!”

‘I might not be able to play today,’ she thought, ‘but I cannot let my goalkeeper enter the second half like this.’ Opening the van’s storage compartment she smiled as she found what she was looking for: the cool box. She grabbed one of the spare towels lying around and put some ice in it. She also picked up an ice pack before hurrying back to the pitch when she heard the whistle announcing the end of the first half. 

“We don’t know where she is, Domon, she ran off- Oh, there she is!” Aki said. Hanna panted as she knelt before Endou who was taking of his gloves.

“Hanna, where- Endou! Your hands!” Aki exclaimed as he revealed his red and burnt hands. Hanna gently placed the ice pack in them after wrapping it in a towel to make sure it would not shock his hands even more. She then moved the pack into one of his hands and picked up the ice-filled towel she had retrieved. The whole team watched as she let the ice fall out and grabbed the captain’s free hand with the cloth.

“Akkaa, what are you doing?” Endou asked as she massaged his hand with the cool towel.

“I am a defender,” Hanna said while keeping her eyes on her work. “It is my duty that I defend the goal and goalkeeper. That is what I am doing.” She looked up for a moment and smiled slightly. “Do not mind me, Endou. Go be a captain.” Endou smiled back and turned to the team to encourage them while Hanna turned to the other hand.

“Why don’t you put me on the bench and put Akkaa on the field instead?” Kabeyama asked, making her look up from her massage anxiously. She was not in the mindset to get on the field now!

“No, we need you!” Endou reiterated and Hanna swiftly returned to rubbing the captain’s fingers with a relieved sigh. Despite all the abuse they suffered, Endou still had very nice hands. They were not very big, but the tissue he had built up in training made them firm and warm.

“Good luck, captain,” she said with a smile as he put on his gloves again.

“Thank you, Akkaa, thank you very much,” he replied and grinned. “You can do that more often if you want!”

“Good useful little Akkaa,” Domon said while patting her on the head again as he passed her. She blushed. Damn the boy that was even taller than she was.

“Thank you for helping Endou,” Aki said with a smile. Hanna thanked her friend for her praise and sat down.

“With massages like that, why don’t you just become a manager?” Someoka asked and Hanna frowned in response.

“I would not give up playing, Someoka. You understand, right?” she replied.

“Hmm. Perhaps you are not that bad,” he said and Hanna sighed. Even after getting hit by a giant tire, she still had not proved herself in his eyes.

“Don’t let him put you down, Akkaa,” Otonashi interjected fiercely. “I am sure you will be even more valuable on the field.”

Hanna smiled and turned back to the game as the match was about to continue. The second half turned out to be even more difficult. Endou’s hands suffered more abuse but the defence had fired up too and eased his burden by blocking more recklessly. Hanna wished she could help them on the field soon.

“He is doing it!” Aki yelled as Kabeyama jumped up with more force and spirit than before. Gouenji took off and flipped, striking the ball hard and fast, completing Inazuma Otoshi.

“Hell yeah!” Someoka yelled to her left.

“Incredible…” Hanna muttered. ‘He knew what he needed to do… And he overcame his fears…’ she thought to herself. She looked over at Endou, who cheered loudly at the goal. The defenders and midfielders also cheered but were visibly drained. Hanna watched as Kurimatsu fell to his knees and put up his hands in celebration and relief. She frowned.

‘Kabeyama faced his fears and changed from his home in the defence to the offence to help the team… If he can do that, I can manage facing my fears and talk to the team! I will get out there and help the defence! It is my duty!’ she told herself. She stood up.

“Well done, Kabeyama! Gouenji!” she yelled loudly and Gouenji gave her thumbs-up. The team was slowly coming back to the bench. “Someoka,” she began confidently as she faced the intimidating striker, “I will play the next match! I will play in the team!” He blinked before smirking.

“Seems like the cat discovered her claws, huh?” he commented. “We will see, Akkaa-girl.” Hanna blushed slightly at his reply and the realisation that the whole team had heard her loud and clearly. Endou cleared his throat as he clutched an ice pack.

“Hey, Akkaa, could you maybe do that magic handwork again?”


	10. Tutoring

“Move, please!”

“Hey!” a young man yelled after the girl that had just rushed past him.

“Nonononono,” Hanna cursed as she saw the final student enter the main building and accelerated. She had overslept. For the past few days, she had spent the whole day practising until the sun went down and then turned to her Japanese studies until she passed out. She had either forgotten to set her alarm for Monday morning or had slept through it this time though. Now she was running for her life to still get to social studies in time. Luckily, her teacher was not a very punctual one. She opened the door to the main building and hurried up the empty stairs.

“You boys have to start taking your classes seriously,” she heard mister Honda’s voice from around the corner. She turned her sprint into a speed walk. She would rather be late than be caught running in the hallway. She bowed her head as she passed the English teacher chastising two third-year boys she recognised from Wakai’s friend group.

“Sorry, Sir,” one of them, Ryu, said with a guilty smile.

“You two are hopeless… Ah, miss Akker,” the teacher said as he noticed her, stopping her in her tracks. “Congratulations on your team’s win against Nose Junior High.” Hanna smiled politely and bowed as she thanked him. She quickly turned around to pass one more classroom before reaching her destination. Mister Honda had taken a liking to her since she caused no trouble in his class and had no problems with the subject as long as they spoke English. She appreciated his kindness, but not when she was in a hurry.

“Ehh? Wakai’s foreign girl is in the soccer team?” the other boy, Kezuka, said and Hanna increased her pace to avoid any further conversation. She slammed open the door and sighed in relief as the class went quiet. Good, the teacher was not here yet. However, she did scare her classmates.

“Please, Miss Akkaa, sit down,” a stern voice rang behind her and she quickly took her seat at the back. ‘Just in time! It is my lucky day after all,’ she thought as she pulled the materials out of her bag.

“Are you okay?” Gouenji asked quietly as his neighbour was still panting when the teacher began speaking.

“Y-yes,” Hanna replied with a small smile and a blush. The class continued as normal but Hanna struggled. Social studies and history were not subjects she had had any issue with back in Europe, but the Japanese textbooks made it hard to grasp here. The books were littered with kanji she did not recognise and she could not simply ask the teacher to explain every single character she did not understand.

When the teacher turned his back towards the class, a ripped page from a notebook was swiftly placed on her desk. She looked at Gouenji in surprise. He had already averted his gaze to the teacher at the front, however. Hanna looked at the paper he had given her. The page contained a list of kanji from the texts the teacher had referred to with some hiragana or katakana next to it. At the bottom, there was a little bit of text.

_‘I hope this helps. If you keep frowning, your face will get stuck. - Gouenji’_

Hanna smiled and glanced at her neighbour again. With the notes he had provided, she was able to grasp the subject matter easily. As soon as the lesson ended, she turned to her saviour.

“Thank you, Gouenji. Truly,” she said with a bright smile. He gave her a signature smirk in return.

“You seem to have this issue in more classes, right?” he asked.

“Huh?” Hanna answered. Had he been watching her?

“We sit next to each other a lot in other classes. You seem to understand the teachers, but whenever we are referred to the textbooks, you start frowning and torturing that pencil of yours,” Gouenji told her and she blushed. Her pencil had indeed suffered some abuse. She had been scratching it continuously, causing little chips to fall off.

“You seem to be even more frustrated lately and exhausted too. Are you sure you are alright?” he continued with genuine concern in his voice and eyes. Hanna looked down.

“I… I have not been sleeping well. I have been training a lot, but I also have to study Japanese a lot so I can keep up in class,” she admitted. “I have a special Japanese exam in a few weeks to test my skills.”

“If you want, I can help you with your Japanese,” Gouenji offered.

“N-no!” Hanna exclaimed before calming down. “Thank you, but I have to learn it myself. I will not have people to help in the big world.”

“But that does not mean you cannot receive help while learning,” he replied pointedly. “I know you want to play and the team wants to see it too. But if you keep taking on too much, you can’t play with us nor ace that test of yours.”

“Gouenji…” Hanna muttered, touched by his words. “I cannot accept your offer, I cannot put a burden like that on you!”

“You helped us understand Inazuma Otoshi,” the striker said. “You helped Endou during the match. Now, I want to help you, as a teammate and as a friend, so you can help us by playing with us too.”

Hanna thought for a moment. ‘He genuinely wants to help me… He wants to help me get on the field… And he considers me a friend…’ She looked up at him and smiled.

“Thank you, Gouenji,” Hanna said. “As a friend, I take your offer.”

“Good,” Gouenji sighed in relief as she accepted. “How about we discuss details after class this afternoon? There is no practice today anyway.” Hanna agreed and they walked to their next class together.

‘Thank you, thank you so much, my friend,’ she thought. ‘Despite everything, luck is on my side today.’

“Yo-yo, little cherry tree!”

Hanna turned around after waving Gouenji goodbye later that afternoon. They had just discussed their tutoring plans. Now, Wakai was approaching her. ‘Wakai? Wait,’ Hanna thought as horror struck her, ‘I have not apologised to him! The last time we spoke, I ran off…’

“Akkaa, what is this I heard from Ryu and Kezuka? You actually joined the soccer club!” Wakai began as he reached her. “Imagine my surprise when those boys came over to me and said: ‘Hey, Wakawaii,’ that is what they call me, ‘your little German princess,’ I corrected them of course, ‘she has joined the soccer club of that Endou kid!’” Hanna could not hold back the smile that crept on her face as her guide rambled on in a mix of English and Japanese.

“I am sorry, Wakai,” she responded in Japanese.

“Eh? For what?” he replied, clearly confused. “And hey! Japanese! Are you starting to feel at home?”

“I am… Adjusting,” she answered with a blush. “I have not played a match yet, but I am training hard.” She continued to explain her arrangement with the Japanese teacher and Gouenji in English.

“Ahh, I see!” he replied while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I am sure you will ace that test. And I am sure you will play a match soon! I mean, you are amazing!”

“Wakai… You have never seen me play,” Hanna said flustered. 

“Well, I don’t have to,” he told her confidently. “Let’s make a deal. You will play all the matches you want and reach those national finals and I will be your number one fan! No one will dare doubt my little cherry!” All Hanna could do was blush in response, living up to her nickname.

‘Great, now I have a friend and a fan,’ she thought to herself. ‘But then again, this is Wakai…’ She had never even considered she could win the Football Frontier with the team and become a well-known player that has fans. The dream of simply playing a single match seemed to be becoming more and more real with every passing second though.


	11. Unexpected Fans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think anyone is following this, but here is a new chapter after quite a long while. I keep forgetting to publish.

“Fans?” Kazemaru suggested as the team looked up at the people standing on the bridge. Hanna chuckled. ‘I don’t need more fans, I already have Wakai and that is more than enough,’ she thought as she raised her hand to wave at them. However, before her hand had passed her ear, it was pulled down firmly. She looked next to her in surprise as Gouenji let go of her bicep. Before she could question him, she was startled by a black car suddenly driving onto the pitch.

“What the?” she exclaimed as she felt her heart race. Out of the car came Natsumi, their new manager, to tell the team that practising hissatsu techniques was now forbidden.

“They’re not fans. They’re spies from other schools,” Gouenji explained, which also justified his prior action. ‘Spies…’ Hanna frowned as she considered the possibility. ‘It is just soccer… Is all this really necessary for a small team as Raimon? Perhaps I have underestimated the seriousness of this Football Frontier business…’

Hanna watched as Endou protested against Natsumi’s new rule and she had to admit she was not very fond of it either, but also agreed with Gouenji that there was more to soccer than their fancy techniques. Once Natsumi had left, the team split into groups to do some simple exercises. Hanna decided to head off on her own and run some more laps to improve her balance of speed and stamina.

While circling the pitch, her mind drifted off to what she had achieved the previous night. The mystery boy had shown up again at the playground and this time she had managed to steal the ball from him. To be fair, he had gone a bit easy on her, not using too much fancy footwork. She remembered his words vividly.

_“Stop waiting for me to come at you. Are you really that much of an idiot to expect me to walk into you when it is clear you are preparing something?”_

He had been right: she had been preparing something. She had been trying to figure out how to execute the technique she had rediscovered in her notebook and had wanted to practise the initial block. By focusing on the bracing of herself, however, she had forgotten to keep track of her opponent’s movements. Of course he would not walk straight into her! She had to stay alert and track his movement in order to position herself correctly. After a few more tries, she had managed to steal the ball by doing just that. After that, he had once more walked off with a cocky smirk.

“Hey, Akkaa!” a voice pierced through her thoughts. “Can you come here for a moment?” Kazemaru had called out to her. Hanna gulped anxiously. Was he going to chastise her for not practising with the team again? She had been participating in the joint practice! He had no reason to give her a speech.

“Your pace looks very steady, but I think you could run way more efficiently,” he said as she came close. He continued by explaining how she could improve by changing the way her feet made contact with the ground. Hanna listened carefully while the anxiety was still present in her mind. ‘Is he just giving me advice? Is he not going to tell me he thinks I am not good enough?’ she thought.

“Akkaa…” Kazemaru said with a frown. “Are you alright? You look… scared?”

“Uh-uhm, no!” Hanna stammered. “I mean, I am okay!”

“Bothering Akkaa again, Kazemaru?” Matsuno said as he joined them.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Kazemaru replied confused.

“Remember when you told her to practise with the team instead of alone?”

“Uhh, yeah, I think so?”

“Well, it kinda sounded like you were telling her what to do without considering that she might be doing something useful already,” Matsuno pointed out.

“That’s not what I meant! Wait, why were you listening anyway?” Kazemaru frowned. Hanna was surprised by the forward’s knowledge as well. As far as she knew, he had not been nearby when that conversation took place.

“Just keeping an eye on a new teammate,” he shrugged before looking at Hanna. “Am I right?” Hanna nodded weakly. “Do not worry,” he continued with a smile, “Kazemaru just wants the best for the team, you can trust him. When you first joined, he was one of the first to greet you, remember?” Matsuno was right, she realised. A relieved sigh left her lips. She had to stop doubting herself. Hanna knew she was a good player and should not let herself get distracted by how the others viewed her. She had made the team and was not leaving.

“Sorry if you were intimidated by me before, Akkaa,” Kazemaru told her awkwardly while scratching his arm, “but I was simply afraid you were not blending in with the team because you were scared or something. Have you been working on something all this time?” Hanna was grateful that Matsuno had stepped in. She could now see Kazemaru did not doubt her, he was just looking out for her too as a member of the team. Now, she also had the chance to explain her plans.

“I noticed we have a strong offence with Someoka and Gouenji and a good goalkeeper. The defence and midfield are a bit messy,” she started while Kazemaru and Matsuno listened intently. She was hoping her words were not interpreted as bluntly as they came out of her mouth. She did not want to insult her team when she did not have the right as a newbie. “I wanted to work on myself and focus on getting the ball from the back to the front quickly.”

“She has a point there,” Matsuno said. “It takes a lot of passes to get the ball to us as attackers and when we finally have it, the enemy has already strengthened their defence. On the flip side, some of the defenders and midfielders panic and try to pass to us instantly and sacrifice accuracy.” Hanna was surprised by his blatant critiques concerning his own team.

“It is not that easy, Matsuno,” Kazemaru frowned, “but I guess it would indeed be great to have some players that can bring the ball up once we’ve reclaimed it.”

“Well, I have the perfect candidate!” Matsuno said while ignoring Kazemaru’s excuse. “She has even been practising for it. But as you may have noticed, there are still things to improve when it comes to her running skills.” Kazemaru smiled as his classmate winked at him before looking up in Hanna’s eyes.

“Listen up, Akkaa,” he began with a smile. “As you may know, Kazemaru used to be part of the athletics club, so he knows all about being speedy. And do not let my size fool you, I might be way smaller, but if there is someone who has been running up and down the field, it is me. Together, we can help you gain the speed and stamina you want and need.”

Hanna was dumbfounded. The two of them were seriously offering to help her. She had been wanting to really be part of the team all this time and now they were reaching out towards her too. Perhaps Gouenji had spoken the truth when he claimed the rest of the team wanted to see her play too.

“So, uh, Akkaa? What do you say?” Kazemaru asked. Hanna snapped out of her thoughts as she realised she had not responded yet.

“I would love that.”


	12. Atalanta

Shock was the only word that could describe Hanna’s feelings at this moment. Earlier that practice session, they had received a visit from the next team they would face in the tournament: Mikage Sennou. Now they not only knew that their goalkeeper could easily stop Fire Tornado, but also that their ace could execute the shooting technique too.

“Well, I guess we still have a lot of work to do,” Matsuno sighed as their little training trio assembled.

“Do you two have any ideas for techniques?” Kazemaru suddenly said. Matsuno and Hanna looked at him in surprise. Had he not heard Natsumi yesterday? “I know we cannot explicitly work on any right now,” he clarified, “but we shouldn’t depend on Fire Tornado and God Hand too much in the hope they safe us.”

“Hmm, you’re right,” Matsuno conceded. “Akkaa, do you have any ideas? Actually, I am sure you have many.” The last comment made Hanna frown. How much had he been watching her? Putting aside her questions about the capped boy, Hanna remembered the night before. She had visited the playground in the hope of playing with the goggle boy, whose name she still did not know, but he had not turned up. She had returned home and had flipped through her notebook again. One of the dribble concepts she had examined came to mind.

“I might have an idea for a dribble or pass with two players?” she suggested hesitantly.

“A dribble sounds good. We don’t have a technique for that yet,” Kazemaru said in support. “I’m all ears.” Hanna cleared her throat and motioned for the boys to sit down with her. If she was going to explain her concept, she would need something to draw on.

“So, uh, it is based on speed and timing,” she started and they looked at the ground as she drew a rectangle to represent the field. “Player one advances and grabs the attention of the opponents in front, behind and on the sides. Player two stays diagonally behind player one. When player one is almost surrounded, they quickly shoot the ball diagonally forwards. Player two must sprint forward at the same time and get to the ball in time. Because player one serves as a distraction, player two can advance.”

“Huh, that is quite a tactic too, nice thinking,” Matsuno said. “Do you think it could work, Kazemaru?”

“I am no expert, but it sounds fine,” the defender answered. “Player two needs to be very quick for this to work though. And player one needs to nail the timing and speed too.”

“Well, you have the speed needed for that,” Matsuno decided, “and Akkaa can be player one.”

“Huh? Me?!” Hanna exclaimed.

“Well, of course,” Matsuno replied casually. “It is your idea. Plus, your passes are very accurate. You have not been around here that long yet, but you can get the ball to the others without any issue.”

“Perhaps it would indeed be good for us to do this,” Kazemaru added thoughtfully. “If we can do this together, you would also be able to fully utilise your skills to help the team and I could also use my speed to help us win.”

“Then it’s decided,” Matsuno said with a smile while wiping the schematic away to prevent the ever-present spies from studying it. Hanna sighed. Her new friends seemed dead-set on getting her to do this now. “Did you have any name in mind, Akkaa?”

“Well, I based the idea on the myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes,” she replied.

“That sounds… Greek?” Kazemaru guessed.

“Yes, it is,” Hanna answered. She had based many of her concepts on Greek and Roman stories and culture. The spirit and confidence of the civilisations and their heroes had always appealed to her. “Hippomenes challenged Atalanta in a race to marry her. Atalanta was the fastest person in Greece. Hippomenes had golden apples and he rolled the apples to Atalanta to distract her. Atalanta would pick up the apples and catch up again every time.”

“Just like player two has to catch up to player one and pass them,” Matsuno observed. “How about calling it Atalanta then?”

“Atalanta sounds great,” Kazemaru said with a smile. “She sounds like a great athlete too. You will have to tell me the full story some time.” Hanna blushed and nodded. Hopefully, that day was not too soon, because she did not believe she could do the myth justice with the manner in which she currently spoke.

“We can’t train it with the spies here,” she said sadly.

“Akkaa.”

Hanna jumped as she turned around to see Endou looking down at her with Aki and Gouenji at his side. He looked dead serious. Was he here to scold them for lounging around instead of practising?

“I can explain-” she started before he cut her off.

“You are playing in the next match,” he said bluntly.

“H-huh?” Hanna sputtered. How could he have decided that already?

“Mikage Sennou knows everything about us, but you have not played in any matches yet,” he explained. “We hope that they do not have enough info on you to predict your moves.”

“You’re debuting! Isn’t that great,” Aki said with a smile. Matsuno and Kazemaru also looked pleased with Endou’s announcement. The captain himself switched back to his usual cheerful self and offered her his gloved hand. Hanna did not know what to say and simply grabbed it.

“I believe in you, Akkaa. We all do!” Endou said with a grin on his face and determination in his eyes as he pulled her to her feet. “You’ll be our hero.” Hanna returned his grin and put her other hand over his before thanking him.

“Speaking of heroes, Endou,” Kazemaru said after standing up. “We have plans for a new technique with credits to Akkaa here.” As Kazemaru explained their idea, Endou’s enthusiasm rose again. Hanna laughed as Endou beamed from ear to ear. She had not been this excited herself in quite some time. She was playing soon, she had Gouenji helping her with her Japanese studies, was improving her skills as a player with the mystery boy and her team and would be actively working on a technique of her own. ‘This day can’t get any better,’ she thought as she looked at Gouenji, who, despite his worries concerning Mikage Sennou, cracked a smile as he met her gaze.


	13. Torture Training

“I am never coming back here again…” Domon sulked after Aki bid him goodbye in order to drag Hanna to the changing room.

“Aki, I can’t feel my damn legses anymore,” the girl drawled, not realising she had switched to English. She was too tired to think about Japanese anyway. Earlier that day, Natsumi had taken the team to a special training facility that was hidden under the school.

Hanna had already been shocked by its existence, but once she discovered the contents of the special training she was convinced she was hallucinating. A giant roulette wheel, conveyor-belt galore and lasers were just the tip of the iceberg. Initially, she considered the purpose of all the setups, but after a few minutes of trying one out, she had decided to not even question it anymore. All Hanna could think about was surviving the hours they were stuck in there.

“It’s okay, Hanna, here we are,” Aki told her, matching her English, as she helped her friend sit down on one of the benches. Hanna groaned as she leaned against the wall. She was glad no one was still around at this hour.

“Was that Natsumi’s idea of training or torture?” she asked as she tried to get out of her shirt.

“She seems to think you guys would come out stronger,” Aki said gently as she pulled Hanna’s shirt off for her, “but I am not so sure about that…”

“Hmm, it probably has some purpose…” the player answered as she pulled at the sports bra that had almost melted into her skin. “It is just way more intense than what we are used to. If we continue doing this, we could get used to it and end up faster and stronger.”

“I hope so…” Aki replied. “Let me get a shower going for you. What temperature would you like?”

“Cold, thank you,” Hanna said as she pushed her shorts down. “Cold showers help me relax and focus. Hot ones just make me sleepy.”

“Do you do a lot to relax?” the manager asked as she returned after preparing the shower. “I mean, you stretch a lot before and after practice and it seems like you know how to give a massage too.”

“It is important to take care of your body,” Hanna said firmly as she made her way over to the showers. She finally became aware of the fact they had been talking in English the entire time but did not bother trying to accomplish something in Japanese. “If you take good care of it, it will perform well and heal quickly. By stretching a lot I make sure my muscles stay flexible and my mind too. A relaxed body is one that can take a lot of pressure and also let go of it and heal quickly.”

“So, like Endou could take on those shots in the second half at the last match?” Aki asked through the door of the shower cubicle.

“I think Endou would have managed that even without my help,” Hanna chuckled. “But yes, I wanted to loosen his hands up so they could continue taking on those shots.”

“You sound very happy when you talk about this stuff,” Aki observed as she threw a towel over the door.

“It is just important to me as a person,” she replied after thinking for a moment. “I am not as strong as the boys, but I always want to give it my all and push my body to its limits. Without taking care of myself, I would not be able to do that every day, instead I would burn out.” Both girls stayed silent after that.

Hanna frowned as she turned off the water. With their training intensifying, it was more important than ever to take care of herself. The boys would most likely improve quickly and she would have to try and keep up, but her body could break if she did not look after herself properly. She pulled the towel down and tightly squeezed her arms with it. She wanted to be careful with herself, but she could not allow herself to pale in comparison to the boys. Hanna exited the cubicle and broke the silence.

“Thanks, Aki,” she said as she rubbed her hair lightly and shot her friend a smile.

“It is my duty as a manager,” Aki replied with a smile of her own before frowning. “Hanna, please continue to take care of yourself. I do not want you to be forced to give up your passion because you push yourself too hard.”

Hanna met her friend’s gaze. She was surprised by her sudden change in demeanour. Maybe her words had reached Aki in a way that she had not expected. Did she already know the struggle of trying to keep up? Did she know?

“Don’t worry, Aki,” Hanna smiled, “because even if I lose myself in training, I know that I have some managers that will take care of me and look out for me. Now, could you please help me put on my shirt and bow? I’m afraid I lost some feeling in my fingers.”

After getting dressed and exiting the changing rooms, Otonashi approached them. Endou wanted her to come to a noodle shop called Rairaiken with some of the other players. Hanna politely asked her to tell him she had too much work to do to go out with them and said goodbye to the managers before leaving the school grounds.

Her conversation with Aki had somewhat rejuvenated her and she was able to walk home at a steady pace. She tried to recap the recent developments and disappointment soon crept up on her. The previous day, she had practised passing and running with Matsuno and Kazemaru to prepare for experimenting with Atalanta. The fact that they could not do anything too specific in public had already put a damper on their training, but with the new training facility, they would probably be too exhausted to specifically work on that technique at all.

Hanna stopped in her tracks as she reached the playground where the goggled boy would sometimes show up. This time, however, he was already there with a ball at his feet. He noticed her immediately and smirked as she neared him. 

“I was wondering where you were,” he said when she stood in front of him.

“I am not playing today. I am going home,” she said dully, hoping he would not catch on to her lack of confidence as she spoke. Even if Hanna had wanted to play that day, she was now too fatigued to try anything against him.

“Tsk. A refusal? Those are the first words you speak to me, Akkaa Hanna?” the mystery boy said after Hanna had turned away. She froze. How did he know her name?

“What a shame. Things were just starting to get interesting, you were actually showing some progress.” Was he praising her? Hanna turned back to see a smirk replace a frown on his face.

“Oh well, it is no big deal. Raimon is still a team of idiots and you did not even manage to play in their last match,” he taunted. ‘Who the hell is this guy? Why does he know these things about me?’ she thought while anxiety and anger flooded her mind.

“Who are you?”

The smirk disappeared from his face. Despite all their previous encounters, she still had no idea who he was. She had expected him to not know anything about this random girl he had met either, but that was clearly a mistake on her part.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said curtly after a while. “Go on home, then.”

He turned his back to her and balanced the ball on his foot. Hanna hesitated for a moment before turning around and heading home as he suggested. She was too tired to worry or care about this stranger right now. When she reached the street corner, Hanna looked back to see him staring at her. He looked away with that shady smirk of his.

“Prick,” the girl muttered before turning the corner and leaving him behind. She spent some extra time stretching and massaging herself before bed that night. She looked at herself in the mirror as she worked on her legs.

‘Raimon is not weak and neither am I,’ she thought as she remembered the bastard’s words. ‘We will show you. I will show you. You better watch us this time too.’

The following week was spent mostly in the underground facility. Though exhausted and battered, they came back out stronger and tougher every day. Aki noted that Hanna showed more determination with each passing day and she had to agree. She had something to prove now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna TRY to update every Thursday
> 
> Stay safe and stay healthy


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